Headlight-leifs



. w. summon; HEADLIGHT LENS. APPLICATIONEFILED JUNE '1. I918v 1,306,780. Patented June 17, 1919.

INVENTOR lV/LLMM 45m ATTORNEY 3 B1,. and Fig.

. trate the form of construction of the lenses for the head places.

"WILLIAM H. SHEREGD, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

HEADLIGHT-LENS.

Specification of Letters Patent:

Patented June 17, 1919.

Application filed June 1?, 1918. Serial N 0. 240,415.

I all 101mm u may come a:

lie it known that l. ILLIAM ll. SHER- non, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city, of Seattle, county of King, and State of Washington, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Head light'Lenses, of which the following is a clear and exact specification.

This invention relates to improvements in lights of motor vehicles and the object of this improvement is to inovide a lens that will eliminate the glare from higlrpower lamps and that will direct and distribute the light where it will best serve to illuminate the roadway without blinding persons in front of the vehicle.

A further and more specific object is, to provide a lens for motor vehicle headlights that is constructed of a plurality-of prismshaped scgments so arranged. and disposedas to direct the rays of light downwardly onto the roadbed in front of a vehicle and outwardly to the sides of the roadbed so that the roadhed directly in front of the vehicle will be illuminated by a strong light, the rays of which are low enough so that they will not strike directly into the eyes of drivers oi other vehicles and pedestrians that are looking toward it, and so that the area at the sides of the roadbcd will be illuminated, sufiiciently to permit the driver to see the contour of the ground at the side of the road thereby assisting him to avoid ditches, embankments and like dangerous "The invention consists in the novel construction or formation of a, prism head: light lens as will be more clearly hereinafter described and claimed. I

in the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the front or outside surface of a lens constructed in accordance with this invention; vertical cross section on broken line 2- 2 of 3 is a viewv in perspective of the front side of the lens as the same might appear when the top, of the lens is tilted away from they observer, a certain. fragment being broken away to better illussections for deflecting light sidewise.

@ne of the chief advantages of this lens is that it makes night driving moreysafe for the car on. which it is installed by least- Fig. 2 is a view in' ing a light to the sides of the road, thereby enabling the driver to see when he is approaching a dangerous place.

Referring to the drawings, ,tl'iroughout which like reference numerals designate like parts, there is shown a lens that is formed of an upper prism shaped section, 5, a cenmore clearly their up per tral prism shaped section 6, two side prism shaped sections 7 and 8 and a lower prism shaped section 5).

The several prism shaped sections 5, 6, 7 8 and 9 are preferably molded from a single piece of glassand are surrounded by an integral circular rim 10 of'constant thickness that is ofi-the proper shape and dimensions to adapt the lens to be secured in thehinged frame on the front of any well known standard type of headlight lamp. I Y

The upper section 5 includes the entire upper part of the lens and com rises a segmental" portion that extends .ownwnrdly across substantially one third of the diameter. of the lens andterminates in a shoulder l2 extending horizontally across the lens.

The upper edge of the portion 5 is relatively thin as shown in Fig. 2, while the lon 'er edge thereof is relatively thick, the front side of the le-nsbein g in a plane that diverges from, the plane of the rear side thereof from/top, to bottom, thereby forming a prism that serves to deflect light rays downwardly as they pass therethrough.

The side sectioi'is 7 and 8 are bounded on edges by the shoulder 12, on their outercdges by the'rim'lO and on their lower edges by two shoulders l3-and 14 that intersect each other at the shoulder 12 and on the veipical axis of the lens and eac "diverge at an angle of substantially forty five degrees from the vertical axis of the lens as indicated in Fig. 1.

The sections 7 and 8 are each relatively thin at the point where they intersect the vertical axis of the lens and relatively thick afi the outer peripheral portions thereof, so it at vergent surfaces that deflect the rays of light outwardly from each side of the lens to illuminate the roadsides.

The central section 6 isboundeii on its upper portion by the shoulders 13 and 14.105

and on its lower portion by an arcnate shoulder 15 that is-concentric with. respect to the lens.

they form prisms having two plane dif v a at the bottom of the lens.

The upper point of the central section 6 is relatively thin while'the portion bounded by the arcuate shoulder is relatively thick thereby forming a prism section that tends to deflect the rays of light downwardly as they pass outwardly therethrough.

The lower section 9 is bounded on its top a portion by'the arcuate shoulder-15, on its side portions by the shoulders 13 and, 14 and on' its bottom portion by the arcuate rim 10 The upper portion of the section 9 ad jacent the arcuate shoulder 15 is relatively thin while its lower portion is relatively thick, the front surface thereof being disposed ina plane that diverges from the rear 3;. surface of the lens from'upperto lower edge, therebyforming a. prism that deflects the rays of light downwardly as they pass there-- through; v

, Theonter edges of the sections 5, 7, 8 and 9 are an beveled as indicated at 16 to givether, lance better finish, where the thicker pfiionsof such sections intersect the rim 10.

. Fr'ofll the above description it will be hat the lens "sectionsS, (5 and 9 are-com structed so thati they'jivill deflect therays of light sea ard! onto the Marlin frontof a vehicle while t a lens sections 7 and 8 are constructed" so that they will deflect a portion of the rays 'sidewise to illuminate .thetarea at the sides of the road.

@This' lens maybe used with auy'ordinary automobile headli ht lamp and will operate with; maximum e 'ciency when used in conreduce the nectlon with parabolic reflector which will light parallel with its This lens is formed entirely of clear trans parent glass there being-no frosted or ground portions to absorb the rays of light and thus efliciency of the lamp on which'it isused. 1 .r Y If'desired this lens may be constructed of a plurality of separable sections and the same results obtained as wherelit is molded from a single piece of glass.

It is obvious that changes in the precise form of construction of this lens may be resorted to within the scope of the following claims.

' What 1 claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is-- v 1. A lens ofvthe class describedcompris ingan upper section-of increasing thickness from top to bottom thereof, twov triangularly shaped side sections of increasing thickness from the center to side edges of said lens,,a

central section having an arcuate lower edge oi greater thickness than the upper edge thereof and a bottom section of increasing thickness toward the bottom edge thereof.

2. A headlight lens composed of a disk of,

transparent material comprising an upper section that extends downwardly a distance =egual to substantially one third the diameter said lens and has two plane surfaces that diverge from top to bottom of said section thereby forming a light deflecting prism,

two side sections bounded on their top edge I by the bottom edge of said upper section and on their bottom edge by two divergentshoulders that intersect the bottom edge or said lower section on the vertical axisof said lens and diverge at an angle of substantially forty five degrees from the vertical axis of said lens, said side sections each having two lane surfaces that diverge to- Ward the si' e edges of said lens thereby forming a light deflecting prism, a. central section having two plane surfaces that diverge from top to bottom thereof thereby formingalightdeflecting rism anda lower I from top to bottom thereof thereby thereby forming a light deflecting prism, two i side-sections bounded on their top edge by the bottom edge of said upper section and on their bottom edge 'bv two' divergent shoulders that intersect the bottom edge of said lowerisection on the vertical axis of said lens and divergent an angle of substantially forty five degrees from the vertical axis of said lens said side sections each having two plane surfaces that diverge toward the side ed es of said lens thereby forminga light'de acting prism, a central section I that is bounded on its to portion by said two divergent shoulders an on its bottom portion by an arcuate shoulder that is concentric with respect to said lens, said central section-having two plane surfaces that diverge toward the bottom thereof thereby forming a light deflecting prism, and a lower section that is boundedon its top edge by said arcuate shoulder and von its side erg es by said divergent shoulders, said lower section having two plane surfaces that diverge from top to bottom thereof thereby forming a light deflecting rism.

Signed this 10th day 0 June, 1918, at Seattle, Washington.

*WILLIAM H. SHERROD. 

